The Longest Day

So Monday June 25th was the day we had been prepping for: the start of our time in China.

Our journey was long, but smooth.  at 7:00 CST, Chris' Dad and Uncle Tom delivered 4 overstuffed suitcases, 2 overstuffed carry on bags, 20 lbs of dog food, two puppies (in carriers) and us to O'Hare Airport so we could make the 24 hour trip to Shanghai.

The nice folks at Lufstansa were extremely excited to see that they had two Dachshunds on the flight!  They were also kind enough to turn their heads when our bags weighed a couple of kg over the weight limit.  

Here are some lessons learned when flying overseas:
Lesson 9:  Wear loose light layers of clothing.  This way you will be super comfy.  If you are a blanket person and  have the room, bring a fleece throw.  
Lesson 10:  If at all possible, fly business class.  We flew Lufstansa for our trip because they had a pressurized hold and pet care center for the dogs.  Their business class seats recline to almost a 180 degree angle and have built in massagers.  Also, you get access to the business class lounge for snacks and beverages between flights. 

Chris enjoys a beer in the Lufstansa business center in Frankfurt.

I was so exhausted, I could barely keep my head up.

Lesson 11:  Drink lots of water on the flight.  This will help combat jet lag BIG time.  
Lesson 12:  When traveling, try to sleep during your destination's night time hours.  This will also help with jet lag.
Lesson 13:  Make sure you convert your dollars into the desired currency in the US or at your destination.  We converted our dollars into yuan at the Frankfurt airport.  Much to our surprise, the banker converted our dollars into euros, and then converted the euros into yuan. We lost a little bit of fundage in the conversion. :(

Twenty four hours, four airline meals and a couple of movies later, we landed in Shanghai.  

Chris and I were so happy to have arrived!

I was so happy to see that Leia and Ditka (the puppies) were excited to see us and full of energy.  Lufstansa did a great job of caring for them.    With the help of our pet importation agent, they were fed, watered, pet, and photographed.  We left them in the care of the Chinese quarantine officials and met our driver so we could head off to our new home.